title: Maternal inflammation in spontaneous term labor.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the association between peripheral markers of maternal inflammation and the onset of term labor.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nested case-control study was performed with serum that had been collected at routine visits from a cohort of 607 term nulliparous women. Cases (n = 20) labored spontaneously within 48 hours of enrollment, and control subjects (n = 80) labored spontaneously ≥14 days after enrollment. Maternal serum cytokines were determined with the use of standard multiplex protocols. Median levels of interleukin-1, -4, -6, -8, and -10, interferon-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-α were compared with the use of the Mann-Whitney U test. Correlations between cytokine levels and maternal factors were performed (Spearman's rho).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median interleukin-1 and -6 and tumor necrosis factor-α levels were significantly higher in cases vs control subjects (0.76 vs 0.31 pg/mL [P < .01]; 2.05 vs 0.95 pg/mL [P = .03]; 0.81 vs 0.51 pg/mL [P = .02], respectively). Latency until delivery was inversely correlated with interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-α (-0.28 [P < .01]; -0.246 [P = .01]), but not with interleukin-6.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal proinflammatory markers increase before spontaneous term labor.
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth Ramsey
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Unal
authors.forename: Jill T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Cierny
authors.forename: Chantel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roedner
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goetzl
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D007375:Interleukin-1; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha